Dragons Lie in the Dark
by Nirianne
Summary: [FFXIII PREQUEL] How far would you go to trust someone whose mission was to kill you and erase you from the pages of history? R&R!
1. The Shadow Man

**A/N:** I had this story inside my head for a long time, and I think this is the perfect time to write it out. I wondered how things would be if the story was slightly changed? This story takes place a year before the l'Cie incident; before Serah was turned to crystal and before Lightning knew how to trust her compatriots and defied her fate. This is a story based on Lightning's journey to trust the people around her, albeit, with the help of a time-traveling assassin.

In this story, Lightning is 20 and Serah is 17.

I don't plan on making this story long, but I hope it's enough to tell you guys a story that's been brewing in my mind for years now. I will say, however, this story may seem rushed as I didn't dream a lot of it. Either way, I do hope you enjoy this story, a prequel to Final Fantasy XIII.

As a soft reminder, this story will contain vulgar language and nudity. Reader's discretion is advised.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

 **Summary:** How far would you go to trust someone whose mission was to kill you and erase you from the pages of history?

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Shadow Man**

Lightning's blue eyes traveled to the clock pinned on the wall, counting down the seconds until the long clock arm would creep its way to the steel-plated number twelve. It had been a long day, going listening to people speak for three hours straight. Three hours. Who had the time to talk for three hours without catching their breath or let alone, eat or take annual bathroom breaks? Today was another uneventful day, just like any other day, acting as a security officer in Bodhum for the Guardian Corps. Her friends—her acquaintances from high school—hilariously laughed and told her she was mad; she'd never get into the Guardian Corps. They'd never accept a _woman_ in their ranks, especially a short-tempered spitfire known as Lightning Farron. Fast-forwarding to the present, Lightning got the last laugh; she ended up getting accepted into the Guardian Corps, and her uniform proved it. Lightning had this position for a year, maybe two now, and still, she never received her promotion even after filling in emergency graveyard shifts and doing excessive paperwork for her carefree colleagues. Lightning's efforts were overlooked even if her peers received promotions within three months of working here.

Still, she never complained or begged for a promotion; she was going to endure each trial and tribulation until her hardworking efforts and contributions were recognized by her superiors and the higher-ups.

Her eyes had glanced over to the clock again before she was dismissed. Just ten seconds to go. Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two and one. Her shift was over. Almost on cue, she heard the sound of chattering behind her, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching her.

"Anything to report?" A tall older man with gray hair questioned the strawberry-blonde.

"Negative." Lightning responded. "Everything's clear. No trouble today from the usual rambunctious kids or anything out of the ordinary,"

"Good to hear." Another man chimed in. He was much shorter and had quite a beer belly hanging out of his crème colored slacks. "We'll take it from here. You can leave for the night,"

"Yes, sir."

Relieved, Lightning took a deep breath and saluted her commanding officers. Quickly turning heel, she rushed to the Bodhum Security shed to pick up her things before leaving for home. Snatching her leather shoulder bag from her locker, Lightning quickly flung it over her shoulder and headed out. Looking left and right, she crossed the street, passed by a couple of two-story houses before reaching Bodhum's sandy shores. Pausing on the beach, Lightning took a deep breath; it was routine for her to take a deep breath before returning to her home. Tilting her head up, the skies were clear and were dotted with minuscule stars, twinkling against the azure and black blanket. For some reason, though unexplained, looking at the night's sky always comforted her.

Feeling the wind gently nudge her from behind, Lightning continued her journey home.

"Serah, I'm home,"

Silence. No one was home. It was now eleven forty-three PM and Serah, as expected, was nowhere to be found. At this time of night, Serah would be in one of three places: The supermarket, at her friend's house or at her boyfriend's house. Tossing the leather bag onto the green sofa, Lightning expelled a tired sigh and stormed immediately to the fridge. Her blue eyes scanned the glossy fridge surface, looking for new notes. Reaching out to a disgustingly yellow note, she ripped it off the magnet, eyes scanning the written message:

 _I'm out to get some groceries! We're out of broccoli._

 _BRB in 20! –Serah_

"Broccoli," Lightning muttered distastefully. She hated broccoli. _Is she planning on making stir fried broccoli again? We knew how well that went the last time._

Scrunching the paper and tossing it in the recycling bin, Lightning scanned the beige-colored and distasteful living room. Things barely changed since her parents died when she was fifteen. The couch remained unmoved, the walls were beginning to show their age with brown water stains seen on the corners and the rug was a tangled nightmare. Pushing away from the marble counter, Lightning wanted to redecorate the house; there were far too many memories of her deceased parents and lost happiness. Walking to the table, Lightning picked up an old picture frame, now rotted on the edges. Inside the picture was a portrait of her family; there was her father, mother, baby Serah and herself. Serah was probably five months old in this picture, smiling with her rose-colored cheeks. And Lightning? The young girl stood quietly by her mother without a hint of happiness expressed on her face.

"This is garbage," Lightning hissed and forcefully placed down the picture frame.

Picking up her bag, Lightning made her way upstairs for a much-needed shower. Every time Lightning looked at that picture, memories of the past surfaced; she remembered the last time she talked to her mom was a week before her death. Well, it wasn't really a talk but more of a verbal war over some petty thing Lightning drove out of her mind. Lightning never had the chance to apologize; by the time she swallowed her pride; her mom had died.

Mumbling under her breath, Lightning stormed into her room, and threw her bag to the side.

"Ugh, what a day," Lightning exclaimed, locking her fingers together and stretched forward. "What a day."

Lightning had to work six days a week, eight to nine hours a day on guard duty or some paperwork duty shoved in her face in the last minute. Each day was agonizing; she either stood eight hours straight on guard duty or sat eight hours straight doing paperwork. When she applied to the Guardian Corps, she _never_ expected this. Well, truth be told, she didn't _know_ what to expect. She just needed a job.

Quickly undressing, Lightning tried her best to push the past out of her head, permanently. She already had too many things to think about and quite frankly, she didn't need additional headaches. Her newest headache? Serah's _boyfriend_ , the one and only (and annoying) Snow Villiers.

"I can't believe her," Lightning muttered. "Where does she find people like him? He's not good enough for her. I don't trust him… Ugh. I should stop thinking… It's the end the day."

Snatching the fuzzy peach-colored towel and wrapped it around her frame, Lightning expelled one more sigh and entered the bathroom for a refreshing shower after a shitty day from work.

"Ah, that feels good,"

Walking out of the bathroom with an over-sized t-shirt, shorts and running the towel through her hair, Lightning felt new… Slightly new. Moving to her vanity, the strawberry-blonde yawned and eyes darted to the clock. It was now twelve seventeen AM. In a couple of hours, she would be at work again, resuming her shitty post and hear shitty remarks about how unattractive she was by her shitty coworkers. Great. Drying her hair, Lightning moved her eyes back to the mirror and examined her face. Leaning forward, the woman analyzed herself; her cerulean-colored eyes locked onto the sea of freakish pink-colored hair and immediately, she frowned. In Bodhum, only Serah and herself had pink hair. The other people had normal-colored hair such as black or brown. Only freaks had flamboyant-colored hair from birth.

 _Thanks, mom._

The Farron sisters had a lot of trouble growing up in Bodhum; the other kids mocked their hair color because they weren't _normal_. How could they be? Their mom had rose-colored hair. Lightning only guessed her mom's pink-colored hair was the dominant trait and yadda yadda yadda. They were born; born to be teased by the 'Bodhum Bullies' Club', a society consisted of mainly prepubescent children with one task in mind: To drive the Farron sisters crazy. No matter how badly they were bullied, the two sisters preserved. Lightning got into major fist fights with the boys and their dick moves, trying their best to win against the rampaging female. They severely lost (along with a couple of baby teeth and nasty gashes on their face and arms).

Her eyes soon traveled down to her body, hidden behind the old t-shirt. She didn't have much to say about her physique, to be quite honest. The only thing she knew was the fact she wasn't perfect and because of that, she was alright with it. Lightning had no desire to look super attractive, no, which was foolish. Besides, does the outside really count? No.

"Now, where's that comb?"

Looking around, her favorite comb was on the floor. Rolling her eyes, Lightning reached for it and stood up again only to find something severely off. Her body was frozen.

"What the hell?" Lightning voiced.

She tried moving her arms and legs but proved futile. Was it a cramp? No, this was different. Grunting, she had difficulty swallowing saliva. What was going on?

"So, you are Etro's Champion?"

Lightning blinked. In the mirror, there was a reflection of a man sitting in the chair behind her. Her eyes widened in sheer terror at the man in black with deep purple accents and a menacing sword leaning against the wall. Expressionless, his hawk-like gaze drilled holes into the back of her skull. Struggling to break free from her frozen state, Lightning ground her teeth and desperately tried to move. The man in black merely watched her battle against the invisible constraints.

"Pitiful,"

Lightning wanted to shriek! Taking in deep breaths, Lightning was in hysterics but she had no way of showing it. Struggling against the bonds, she locked her eyes with his cold gaze in the mirror.

"W-What do… you w-want…?"

"She speaks," The man pushed out of the chair and head directly to her.

Standing right behind her, he looked down at her pathetic, feeble form.

"W-Who?"

"Should I kill you?" The man whispered. "Do you deserve a quick, painless death or a slow, painful one?"

With a click of his fingers, Lightning was animated again. Slumping forward, Lightning caught her breath and immediately faced the man. He stood there, coldly staring into her terrified eyes.

"I will give you a head start, girl. You have ten seconds."

"What the hell are you talking—"

"Ten, nine, eight…"

Lightning violently shoved him away and made a mad dash out the door. Running down the hallway, Lightning heard the sound of her heart pound madly against her ribs. Turning her head around, she saw him stand at the end of hallway holding the menacing sword. He calmly took a step forward and disappeared.

 _The fuck?!_

Rushing down the crème carpeted stairs, Lightning turned a sharp corner and breathed. Inhaling and exhaling, her fingers trembled. Pulling her fingers against her heart, she heard his footsteps. Immediately, her fingers shot to her mouth.

"Where are you, Warrior Goddess?"

 _Warrior Goddess?_

"I know you are here, hiding like a coward."

Lightning listened intently to his wandering footsteps against the silence of her house. Hearing his footsteps cease around the corner, Lightning frantically looked around for a weapon to use. To her misfortune, nothing could be used to defend herself.

"There you are."

What was a girl supposed to do?! Stuck to the wall, Lightning's fingers shot to his hand grabbing her throat. She thrashed wildly, desperately trying to breathe and in the same time, spit out curses. Feeling herself airborne, Lightning made eye contact with the man. Her legs flailed around, trying her best to land a solid kick on his thigh.

"Get your fucking hand off me!"

He tightened his grip in response. Observing her struggle, he threw her across the room and Lightning collided into her couch. Rolling off it, she landed firmly on the light brown parquet floor, face first. Hastily pushing off the floor, Lightning snapped her head to the right and spotted her training sword. Without hesitation, she launched herself to the weapon, and dashed out of the house. Running against the cold, dry night wind, Lightning heaved and commanded her legs to run as fast as they could, away from the mad man. Sinking her steps into the sand, Lightning halted and breathed, eyes peeled to her bare feet. Did he follow her?

Hearing the sand crunch, she got her answer. Lightning's heart plummeted to the soles of her feet. Snapping around, Lightning's blue eyes locked on to the man, standing seven feet away from her.

"What do you want from me?!" Lightning yelled.

The man silently raised his sword, leveled with her rampaging, beating heart. "Your life,"

Lightning tightened her grip on the sword's leather hilt. "Over my dead body," she hissed.

The man watched her tightly grip the sword with both hands and raised it to level with his head. She trembled like a newborn fawn, pretending to stay brave in the eyes of the bloodthirsty predator. The man merely shuffled his stance; there was one thing he did give her credit for: The woman had guts. Dipping his head, he smirked in the shadows, amused by the situation. Taking a step forward, he accepted her little 'challenge'.

"Take one more step forward and you'll regret it," Lightning hissed, tightening her grip around the plastic hilt. "I'm warning you buddy, one more step and—"

"And you will do what?" he whispered from behind.

"What?!"

Lightning spun around and sliced air. Gulping a large pocket of air, Lightning heard the sand crunch behind her. Quickly spinning around, she tried to slash him but yet again, her sword came into contact with nothingness.

"You are more pitiful than I expected,"

Reappearing, the man swiftly disarmed her, twisting the silver blade out of her delicate wrist and forcefully shoved her into the sand. Falling down, Lightning whipped around and was face-to-face with the tip of his sword.

"You lost," he spoke coldly. "Although, I do admire your foolish courage to try and challenge me, knowing of the inevitable outcome."

"..."

"Sahagin caught your tongue?" he said, narrowing his eyes. "Are you ready to die?"

"No," Lightning shook her head and pushed off the sand. "I'm not going to die on _your_ terms,"

Lightning boldly gripped the sword and pushed it against her heart. The tip of the sword punctured through her shirt and her skin. Tightening her grip on the twisted metal, her blue eyes made contact with his deep, amethyst eyes. She was not backing down.

Fiercely making eye contact with the soon-to-be murderer, Lightning stated, "I'm going to die on my terms. If you're going to kill me, then do it. I'm not afraid."

"Foolish girl," The man muttered. "Your heart is beating faster than your reasoning."

Lightning knew he was right but she chose to ignore it. "That doesn't scare me." Pulling the blade closer, Lightning winced at the pain erupting from the fresh wound. "Go ahead, kill me."

Lightning closed her eyes. This was it. She expected to feel the jagged sword violently driven through her body and blood exploded from her frame, followed by a pile of guts toppling onto the sand below. She imagined her bleeding body shrieking in pain before she succumbed to a violent death. Swallowing a thick ball of spit, Lightning remained unmoved, waiting for him to end it all. Lightning waited, and waited… and waited. What was he waiting for?

"You are courageous, girl." he spoke quietly, examining her determined face. Yanking the sword away from her tight grip, the man spoke. "I will not kill you today,"

Lightning opened her eyes. "W-What?" Truthfully, she was relieved to hear those words.

Walking away from her, the man returned the sword onto his back. Crossing his arms, he said, "Did you not hear me? I decided to not kill you today,"

She blinked. Watching him turn around, he had the smuggest look on his face. Lightning immediately knitted her eyebrows.

"Perhaps, I should give you a chance to fend for yourself, girl." he spoke.

Lightning dipped her head, breathing out a sigh of relief. Her heart continued to pound madly inside her chest; she thought she was going to die. Hearing the sand crunch again, she boosted off the wet sand, and eyed the stranger.

"But, make no mistake, Claire Farron," The man turned around, locking his eyes with hers. "I _will_ come back and kill you. I advise you be best prepared,"

The man took a bold step forward and vanished with the wind. Lightning fell onto her knees with her heart sending thunderous beats to her ear. Her fingers shook, followed by her arm and body. Was it over? Was the threat gone? Slumping forward, Lightning didn't know what to do. Her mind transformed into a confused mess of emotions, with fear predominantly swimming through her turbulent thoughts. He made it clear he wasn't going to kill her today, but he would return later to kill her. The man, as cruel as he projected out to be, was merciful, Lightning convinced herself. He gave her a chance to fend for herself, knowing if Lightning decided to go head-to-head with him, she would definitely lose. Not only would she lose her dignity, but ultimately, she would lose her life.

Getting a hold of herself, she shook her head and pushed off the broken sand with her sword clenched tightly in her grasp. No, she wasn't going to go down without a fight. She had much to live for; there was no way she would allow herself to die, no, not on his terms. Making her way back to her house, Lightning's mind was fixed on today's encounter. Like any other person who looked at death straight in the face, Lightning was going to do the opposite; she was going to use this fear to become ammunition and become stronger. She was going to hone in her skills and prove to the assassin she had much to live for. Nobody had the right to tell her to quit; not family, not friends and certainly, not a quick-tongued assassin, sent to end her life.


	2. Caius Ballad

**A/N:** First off, thank you very much to **Warrior of Spectra** and a **Guest** for dropping a kind review for me ^^ If you feel the story is rushed, it is; I dream things in sections and not in chapters. Therefore, things seem more rushed than usual. Now, here's chapter 2!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

 **Summary:** How far would you go to trust someone whose mission was to kill you and erase you from the pages of history?

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Caius Ballad**

"Farron. Hey, Farron! Snap out of it!"

With a firm shove from behind, the strawberry-blonde snapped out of her daze; she had been staring at the wall for at least twenty minutes. Rubbing her eyes, she spun around only to face her boss's round potbelly quite literally in her face. Lightning tilted up her head to meet the man with a circular face and double chin. Pushing out of her chair, she gave him a firm salute.

"Something the matter, Farron? I called you at least five times."

"No, it's nothing, sir. Late night, that's all."

"Oh," The man firmly crossed is arms over is protruding chest. "Tutoring Serah?"

"Yes, sir." Lightning lied. To be honest, she didn't feel like talking.

Placing a firm hand on her shoulder, her boss said, "Why don't you take an early leave, Farron? You've already submitted your daily reports. Go home and rest up."

"But I'm—"

"That's an order, Farron. Go."

Defeated, Lightning thanked the man and left the office. Stepping out of the crowded room, she inhaled deeply then closed her eyes. Knocking her head on the wall, Lightning was unable to focus since her fateful encounter at her home; an intruder dead set on ending her life choose to let her live, to fight another day. She remembered him well; the man in black with stunning dark purple accents that lined his armor. And there was that menacing-looking blade, capable of separating flesh from bone in one fell swoop. Just thinking about her body divided into two equal halves made her shudder. Pushing off the wall, Lightning desperately needed to get fresh air to clear her mind and her rapidly beating heart.

It now had been two days since that night; Lightning was unable to focus on the simplest of tasks. She had already dropped three porcelain plates at home, spilled blue ink on her uniform or worse, tripped and spilled coffee on her supervisor… In the face. Lightning was _not_ a clumsy person. Every time she tried to shake off the memories, his cold, piercing eyes would return and haunt her. Walking through the hallway, Lightning zoned out, falling deaf to chit-chatter. Turning a corner, she solemnly wandered into the cafeteria to find pockets of people eating in groups. Walking pass them, the strawberry-blonde approached a sandwich vending machine and slotting in coins before a triangular sandwich dropped down into the slot. Reaching for it, she narrowed her eyes; it was imitation crab with mayonnaise. Lightning despised crabs, especially when one of her most severe allergies involved the damned crustaceans. Imitation crabs are worse. Imitation crabs are lies. Breathing out an annoyed sigh, she tossed it aside and left the cafeteria with dampened spirits. What a waste of ten Gil that was.

Continuing through the algae-colored hallway, she headed toward an elevator and waited for it. Crossing her arms, she remembered it again, his face staring right back at her.

 _Get out of my head!_ She shook her head madly.

Taking in deep breaths, she tried to calm down but she was unable to combat the overflowing river of thoughts swimming violently through her mind. All she could think of was how close she was to being murdered. What would have happened to her if she died? Heck, what would Serah do? Be sent off to their useless aunt and uncle and their spoiled little princess and prince? No, that was unacceptable. Releasing a huff, Lightning knew Serah would find a way to live on her own regardless of their aunt and uncle begging her to stay with them. As much as Serah loved and adored children, those two brats were monsters, spoiled to the core. They wouldn't like it if and when Auntie Serah decided to become an ogre.

Hearing the sound of the elevator, she marched in and pressed the button to directly be transported to the Guardian Corps' underground training facility.

 _I'm not going to let him get to me._ Lightning leaned against the wall and tapped her arm in even rhythms. _I'll show him what I can do. I'm not weak. I'm stronger than I look. I'll be ready when I see him again._

The elevator's distinctive ding sound echoed, prompting Lightning to push off the wall and exit. Walking through the dimly lit hallway, this was probably the ninth time Lightning entered the training facility since the incident. Pushing the metallic door open, Lightning shot to the weapons and artillery room and stood in front of an excellent selection of weaponry. Scanning through the gray metallic shelves, her blue eyes landed on her training sword. Reaching out to grab it, the blade served as Lightning's first sword she ever held at this job. Observing its fine finish, there wasn't even a single scratch on it. Funny, though, the blade continued to shimmer even though Lightning severely punished and abused it through each training session. The blade continued to shine under the spotlights. Tightly curling her fingers around the tough hilt, Lightning whipped the sword a couple of times, coming to terms with its weight. Taking a couple more swings, she was ready.

Storming out of the room, the determined woman entered the spacious training arena and approached the control panel. Pressing an assortment of buttons and pulling down a lever, hay-filled manikins appeared from the ground and began to zip in its designated patterns. Breathing in, Lightning entered the battlegrounds and began to position herself to fight the animate objects. Biting her lip, she stabbed a manikin in its chest. Watching it fall, she ducked and swiped at another manikin, landing a firm strike on its waist and watched several hay threads spill onto the floor. Rolling out of the way from an aerial attack, she lifted up her sword and successfully impaled the manikin in the face.

 _I need a tougher challenge_.

The strawberry-blonde got up and resumed her attack stance, calculating which manikin she was to defeat next. Her blue eyes locked at the approaching manikin until the dummy short circuited, forcing the lights in the facility to flicker. The body wheeled to a stop a few feet away from her. She rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Really?" Lightning said aloud, placing a hand on her hip. "Now?"

Shaking her head, Lightning took a step forward and the lights began to flicker uncontrollably. Taking another step forward, a dark shadow appeared before her and quickly disappeared. Missing the shadow, Lightning continued forward and again, the shadow appeared for three seconds and vanished. Stopping in her tracks, she slowly raised her sword and shook her head.

 _It's just the lights._ Lightning told herself. _It's just the lights._

Walking forward, the shadow reappeared along with a red eye piercing through the darkness. Lightning's blood froze.

 _No, this isn't happening._

Taking a couple of steps back, she swallowed hard and shook her head in desperation; this wasn't happening. Goosebumps formed on her skin with each decided step taken backward. Blinking again, her back suddenly collided with something solid. Perhaps it was that very moment; her body was rooted on her spot while her ears picked up the sound of a beating heart. She dared not to turn around. She could feel his gentle breaths, caressing the side of her ear as he leaned forward.

"Afraid of the devil?" she heard him say. "You should be."

Every fiber in her body resisted to move by her command; all she could do was swallow a ball of spit lodged in the back of her throat. She picked up the faint sound of shuffling then heard footsteps move around her. The man in black maneuvered to the front of her, eyes judging every inch of her physique. Running his fingers to the tip of her chin, he tilted her face up to stare deep into burning cobalt eyes. Even if the woman was afraid, her eyes told a different story. He wondered, how on Pulse was this girl, this frail girl could become Etro's Champion? Look at her; she was petite and barely had any muscle on her. She couldn't hold a sword properly to fend for her life even if it depended on it. Though, the man did admire her fighting spirit; her fighting foolish spirit.

His fingers left her chin as he confidently took a couple of steps back and removed the menacing sword from his back. Holding it horizontally, the red eye opened then pulsed. Snapping his fingers, Lightning gained motion and fell to her knees. She knew it; she wasn't frozen from fear; she was frozen by his damned spell. Grunting, Lightning picked up her sword and pushed off the ground, eying the intruder.

"Spar with me," he said. "Show me what you can do."

"Are you testing me?" Lightning shot.

"Come, show me what you can do."

Lightning wasted no time and assumed her attack stance. Planting her feet on the ground, her eyes carefully studied him for any visible weaknesses. It frustrated her; she couldn't identify any. Never mind, she thought dismissively. Lightning took a bold step forward then rushed to him before swinging her blade. The man blocked the attack and pushed Lightning away causing her to stumble a few steps backward. Trying again, she tried attacking him from another direction but the outcome remained the same; he remained unmoved. Regaining her balance, she noticed his eyes never once left hers. Carefully, he lowered the blade to his side presenting her with an opportunity to get the upper hand. Immediately launching from her spot, she thrust her sword forward clumsily only to have him grab it and yanked her towards him.

Colliding face first into his armor, she cursed.

"Useless girl," he shoved her away. "You know nothing of battle."

Warping away, the man appeared behind a stationary manikin. Without a second thought, he kicked it, sending the dummy flying towards Lightning. She ducked in the last minute and swiftly rolled out of the way from the incoming attacks. Kicking a manikin over her head, she speedily scrambled to her feet and sliced an incoming manikin in two. Watching the head roll off from the body, the strawberry-blonde ducked again from an assault by his sword. Metal against metal grind, forcing white and yellow sparks to fly between them; her blue eyes locked with purple eyes, determined to best him. Applying considerable pressure on the hilt and onto the sword, whatever she did, the man refused to budge. It took one powerful upward swing to send her flying into the air and violently crashed onto the hay covered floor. Lightning coughed, desperately gasping for air.

"Weakling," she heard him say, listening to his boots crunch the scattered hay. "A woman should never hold a sword if she cannot use it well."

Breathing in, Lightning was sick and tired of his sexist remarks. "Whatever a man can do, I can do it too," Forcing herself to balance on her knees, she said, "I'm going to show you I can _beat_ you."

Standing up, her fingers were tightly coiled around the hilt. Pointing the sword at him, he watched her unwavering determination trying to combat the fact she could easily lose. She showed him the same eyes expressed on the night they stood on the shores of Bodhum. He remembered well, the girl pressing the tip of Ragnarok to her beating heart, challenging him to execute her on her terms. She was brave, he'd give her that.

"Give me your best shot," he said, inviting her to take a lucky jab at him. "Go on, don't be shy, girl."

Lightning did just that, propelling her training sword forward only to watch it skid off the surface of his sword. Stumbling forward, Lightning whipped around and tried again but missed. Keeping her emotions in check, Lightning attempted to analyze his moves and every so often, her eyes glanced down and observed his footwork.

"Pay attention," The man took a quick swipe at her producing a fine cut on her cheek. "When you are engaged in battle, never lose sight of the enemy."

With knitted eyebrows, Lightning charged, doing her very best to land a hit on him. After everything she managed to do, he deflected her advances with his sword and every so often, he caught her blade and shoved her back. Biting the inside of her cheek, Lightning took another jab hoping to land a solid jab on his arm but instead, the strawberry-blonde fumbled forward and tripped. Landing on the ground with a loud thud, she couldn't help but spit out a curse.

"Fucking… hell. Dammit…" Lightning cursed, cradling her ankle. Rolling over, she applied pressure to her left ankle and felt nothing but pain pulsing at the joint. Feeling eyes drilling into her skull, she looked up and snapped, " **The hell are you looking at?!** "

"Pathetic," he managed to say. "Of all the warriors I have known, you are the least impressive out of the bunch."

"Thanks for the encouragement," Lightning gritted her teeth.

The man bent down and looked at her, "Even the youngsters in my tribe managed to land hits on me after a few tries. You on the other hand—"

Lightning's hand had already made its way to his face and landed a perfect slap on his cheek. With her hand raised in mid-air, she was sick and tired of his remarks which in no way was to help her. There was one thing she gave him credit for; annoying the bleeding hell out of her.

"I guess that count, doesn't it?" Lightning hissed, disgusted by his remarks.

The man faced her. "Indeed,"

Expressing her annoyance in a single huff, Lightning focused on trying to get back up on her two feet. Managing to apply weight on her right leg, she winced the moment weight was added to her left foot. Falling on her behind, she tried again and reached out for her sword to use it as a makeshift cane. Managing to stand up, she limped forward and ignored the man's intense stare puncturing from behind. Limping forward little by little, she internally cursed; of course she _had_ to injure herself right before the annual check-up. She could see it now, the nurse delivering her one-of-a-kind tantrum at Lightning in the infirmary for the twenty-eight time. Rolling her eyes, her day couldn't get any worse.

Maybe she spoke too soon as she lost balance and watched the ground inch closer and closer to her face. Closing her eyes, she expected the feel the full force of concrete smacked against her face but instead, all she felt was air. Opening an eye then two, Lightning's body leaned forward. She blinked. Oddly, she felt something pull on her cape. Fearing the worse, she carefully turned around; as expected, the man had a firm grip on her cape stopping her from ramming with the ground.

Biting the inside of her cheek, she muttered, "Thanks, I guess."

Walking to her, the man shook his head and without warning, scooped her up. Lightning immediately thrashed and comically rained her fists on his armor.

" **What the hell?!** " she roared. " **Put me down!** "

"You are a hopeless warrior," he said, exiting the arena and walking down the steps. Meeting her eyes and shaking his head, he continued, "Truly hopeless."

" **Argh!** " Lightning bellowed, landing a firm hit on him. " **I am not hopeless!** "

Kicking as hard as she could, she was unable to free herself from his grip. Taking a breather, she glared daggers at him.

 _How dare you._ Lightning thought bitterly. _Who are you to think that you know everything?_

"If it pleases you to curse at me, go ahead."

"Just put me down already!" Lightning squirmed; she hated being manhandled. Pushing her palm into his face, she did everything she possibly could to be free. "Last time I checked, you're not deaf!"

Reaching the wooden bench, the man dropped her, as per her request. Landing with a significant thud on the bench and jolts running up her leg, Lightning slumped forward.

"You're one of the most obnoxious human beings I have ever met," Lightning spat, cradling her injured leg. "Has anybody told you you're the worse human being on Pulse?"

"I do not heed what others say about me," he spoke then crouched down. "What matters is…"

Lightning was on the brink of spitting out a train of curses the moment he cradled her injured foot. She was close to spitting out vulgarity but instead, she watched his hand carefully hover over her foot. Blinking, she saw green sprinkles or glitter raining down on it.

 _Magic?_

Running his hand along her foot and up her leg, the green spell weaved around her limb, curing her of any wounds on her skin. Reaching out to her cheek, his finger grazed the wound and permanently erased it. Standing up, he crossed his arms.

"You should be healed now," he said. "Stand up."

Pushing off the bench, Lightning carefully applied pressure to her left leg; the pain's gone. Tapping her foot, she made sure it wasn't some kind of cruel trick. Reaching down to her ankle, she pressed the area a couple of times, expecting to feel a jolt rushing up her leg but, there was none. Shooting her fingers to her injured cheek, the cut was gone.

"Today's sparring lesson is concluded," The man whispered. "You have much to learn, Claire Farron. Fighting me in your current state will not do."

As he was about to walk away, Lightning darted to him and seized his arm. He stopped.

"Wait," she said. "Why? Why would you do this for me when in the end you're going to kill me?"

Lightning wanted to know. She desperately wanted to know why the stranger would go to lengths to train and mend her knowing one day, he would drive his sword through her. Gripping on his armor, she tugged it again, demanding him to answer her.

"Time will tell, Claire Farron."

"That's not a good enough answer!" Lightning shook her head, frustrated by his roundabout answers. "I don't understand you; why go through all the trouble to help me? It makes no sense."

"You shall see when the time comes why I chose to aid you. For now, I will not answer your question."

"If you can't answer that, at least you can answer something else!" Lightning tugged on his arm again. The man slowly turned around and met her eyes. "At least… At least you can tell me your name."

"Is it that important to know the name of your killer?" he whispered.

Lightning nodded confidently. "Yes. At least, at least I'll know the name of the murderer who planned on killing me for a crime I didn't commit."

Looking her dead in the eyes, he answered, "Caius Ballad."

"Caius…" she repeated silently. It would be a name she would never forget as long as she breathed. "Caius."

Turning around, Caius made his way to the door. Turning the metal knob, he once again locked eyes with his future pain, "Until next time, Warrior Goddess. We shall meet again under different circumstances."

After speaking those words, the man left, leaving Lightning to linger behind, thinking about the uncertain future when they were to cross paths again.


End file.
